English chess lagging as young talent develops more quickly abroad

Friday 29 August 2014 17.23 EDT
First published on Friday 29 August 2014 14.48 EDT

Chess talents in several countries are reaching top international level at younger ages, though England is lagging behind.

Richard Rapport, 18, currently the world’s highest ranked teenager, has an imaginative style which has gained a large fan following. Rapport had an impressive August when he helped Hungary to Olympiad silver medals then tied first at this week’s strong Riga Open. He is now No36 in the world, No2 in Hungary and on course to reach the top 10-20 grandmasters.

Rapport is unusual among young GMs in that he often uses offbeat openings in a quest for sharp tactical positions. At Riga he opened a key game with the iconoclastic 1 e3 followed quickly by g4 and h4. Most junior experts prefer to use a computer database to arrive at the board primed with proven variations analysed to move 20 and beyond.

Computers have enhanced memory and diminished creativity but they enable the best talents, who can absorb data quickly, to reach the world top earlier.

A pattern has developed where a promising player emerges at nine to 11, rapidly advances to a 2200 expert by 12, then reaches 2400 master level by 14-15 and 2600 GM by 16-17. Rising stars from the Dutch No1, Anish Giri, 20, through several Russians to Samuel Sevian of the US with three GM norms at 13, have matched or bettered this timescale.

England has not produced a junior of this calibre since Gawain Jones and David Howell in the late 1990s. The ageing 2600+ Olympiad team, with three over-40s, needs fresh blood but the best young player now, Yang-Fan Zhou, 20, has yet to reach 2500 or the GM title and others look likely to peak in the 2400s.

In the 1970s England pioneered fast-track development of the best talents, including Nigel Short and Michael Adams who became world title finalists. Now the emphasis is on more participants, a team ethic and less challenging targets.

Rapport in a must-win game at Riga chose the passive but solid Philidor Defence and was rewarded when White’s inaccurate 11 (Qf3) and 13 (Qe2) allowed 13...e4! after which White’s f5 pawn soon fell and a light-square attack on the king was already under way. Its climax is this week’s puzzle.

The Sinquefield Cup at St Louis, the strongest ever tournament, can be viewed free and live online (8pm start). The world champion, Magnus Carlsen, who began with two draws, faces a Fide ultimatum to sign the contract for his title match with Vishy Anand this weekend or be defaulted.